Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-12-01
THE BRITISH FLEET.
LITTLE TO ENCOURAGE FAITH IN
MONSTER ARMORCLAp SHIPS.

Several Collisions and Many Breakdowns
During the Recent Maneuvers-A Very
Slovenly Performance-Vessels Running
Short of Coal-Torpedo Boats.
The recent maneuvers of the British feet
did little to encourage those who pin their
faith to monster ships and heavy armor In
deed, even the unbelievers in this type were
scarcely prepared for the sorry spectacle pre-
sented by the mightiest feet afloat, for in the
Irish channel, where Admiral Baird essayed
to defend the shore line against the assault of
Fitzrov, and again in the English channel
and North sea, when Hewitt sought to pierce
the line of Freemantle, the big ships proved
at best both awkward and uncertain.
There were several collisions and many
9breakdowns; in all dozen ships out of two
score were disabled by their own exertions,
for gave out from lack of coal during the fort
night of evolution. The great ships Ajax
and Devastation crashed into each other
early in the day, and it was only by quick
work, and what must be regarded as good
luck, that the latter did not go down. AS
it,was, she was badly listed over on to her
side, with her guards under; something heavys
III the way of machinery having been sent
adrift below. The Ajax was disabled and
lay like a dead whale in everybody's way,
and a constant menace to all. The new steel
cruiser Curfew, from which SO much was ex-
pected was SO awkward to handle and so
slovenly in minding her helm that. when the
report came she had broken down, and
powerful tugs were sent by Admiral Hewitt
to tow her into port, sigh of relief must
have gone up among the fleet, for from the
descriptions given Of her movements, she
seems to have been as deadly as an iceberg,
quite as dangerous to friend as enemy, and
required a whole ocean to herself. Then there
was the Colossus, of which SO much has been
written-the floating fortress, carrying
enough power to cripple a feetI Unless she
can do better than her recent performance
promises, no feet need fear her, for, in order
to sustain injury, it would have to come up
and considerably lie to, possessing itself in
patience while the really formidable battery
was trained; for it is said to have taken an
hour and thirty minutes to work the Colossus
into position and load, train and fire the after
guns on the port side. After firing one round,
the big ship fell back disabled, and lay help
less in the tideway.
The Terror might not inappropriately be
renamed the False Alarm, and the Impe-
rieuse, the Impotent; for the former on two
occasions thundered down upon the enemy,
ard, when at point blank range, was unable
to train her battery till she had passed the
target, having then to run over a circle of a
miles diameter to get around again into posi-
tion while the Imperieuse fell out of line be-
cause running short of coal-bless the mark
And when again her bunkers were full, she
was so slovenly in cross sea as to be well
nigh unmanageable
When we remember that the rate of speed
at which the ships were working was only
seven knots an hour, and that, notwithstand-
ing they were within easy reach of a great
coaling station, several of them ran short of
coal while maneuvering, we cannot help Won
dering what would happen such fleet fight
ing in mid ocean! 1t may safely be said that
il the result of the fortnight's maneuvers is a
fair exponent of what a fleet of monster ships
are capable of, we need have little fear of
attack by such vessels on this side of the
water Few of these large ships would carry
anything like enough coal to bring her
across, and those so capable would be COM
PEELED to coal at some station here before
ready for aggression, or, barring that sup
ply, be unable to get home again. Hence
blockade or capture Of the coaling stations
would render such a feet harmless.
1t ought to be said of the officers in COM
mand of this great fleet that they are as ca
pable a lot of men and as able seamen as can
be picked up on the ocean. Experienced, too,
they are in all manner of novel machinery
and war material, used to working modern
ships, and, quite as important familiar with
the waters they sail in. 1t was no fault of
theirs that some of the monsters they COM
manded carried weather helms with wheels
hard over, or, as was the case with another,
parted the shaft while trying to work head
ND to wind with engines of s, 1000 horse power.
All attempts to form line of battle, whether
in the form of column, crescent OF wedge,
were fairly unavailing from naval stand
point, because the time occupied was so pro-
longed as to give quick witted enemy op-
portunity to anticipate the maneuvers and
evade the shock. The big ships on several
occasions rammed one another while getting
into line, and breakdowns and demands for
assistance marked the most important ma
neuvers. This was no fault of the command
ers, but of the ships being built to carry
great batteries and bear ponderous armor
rather than for seaworthiness and rapid
movement.
The work of the torpedo and torpedo boat,
from which so much is-not unreasonably-
expected in future naval wars, seems to have
been pru'posely underestimated at the maneu-
vers this year, as it was in the French ma
neuvers last year, for fear of shaking the
sailors faith in the impregnability of the
ships he sails in.-Scientific American.